Train service resumes at San Francisco's transit center following a prolonged disruption.
The San Francisco Bay area's largest train system, BART, resumed service after a six-hour outage on Friday morning, leaving thousands of commuters stranded across the region. This disruption was caused by a computer equipment issue.
Despite the recent outage, BART handles over 170,000 riders daily. However, the system is currently facing fiscal issues. In June, Moody's Ratings downgraded BART's Aaa rating, reflecting the system's financial predicament.
The agency's budget deficit is projected to balloon to $400 million annually starting in fiscal year 2027. To avoid drastic service cuts over the next two years, State legislators and Governor Gavin Newsom reached an agreement in June on a state budget that extended an interest-free loan of $750 million for BART. However, the terms of this loan are still awaiting a resolution, and if they aren't resolved by a Sept. 8 deadline, the loan could be scrapped.
If the loan fails, BART might file for chapter 9 bankruptcy. To secure long-term funding, voters in the counties served by BART will consider a ballot measure in 2026 that would impose a new local sales tax for a period of 10 to 15 years to help balance its budget.
It's worth noting that much of BART's system's hardware is original, and mechanics often have to source parts and rely on old computer programs. The train control system that failed is part of an $800 million upgrade currently underway. Earlier this year, BART experienced a similar shutdown across its entire network due to technical difficulties.
After resuming service, BART announced delays on all lines. Despite the challenges, the agency remains a crucial part of the Bay Area's transportation infrastructure, serving millions of commuters each year. The governor's name is Gavin Newsom.
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